Real Groove (magazine)

Based in Auckland, Real Groove began in 1993^[1] as a free newsletter distributed through Real Groovy Records. It became a newsstand title in the late 1990s and was subsequently owned by Tangible Media.^[2]

In 2003, a survey by Nielsen Media Research showed a monthly readership comparable to Rip It Up, New Zealand's leading music magazine.^[3]

The 196th and final issue of Real Groove, dated October 2010, featured Leonard Cohen on the cover.^[2] The magazine had tried to focus on its online presence and, according to Wicks, the closure was due to "the lack of demand for physical publications".^[4] Among local media, its demise coincided with that of Pulp magazine, MTV's withdrawal from New Zealand, and Back2Basics merging with Rip It Up.^[5]

Real Groove was amalgamated into The Groove Guide, a free weekly magazine owned by Tangible Media.^[2][4] That title was similarly closed down, in May 2011.^[6]

Real Groove was first edited by music historian John Dix, author of Stranded in Paradise: New Zealand Rock'n'Roll, 1955–1988.^[7] Subsequent editors included Nick Bollinger,^[7] John Russell, Brock Oliver,^[8] Duncan Greive, and Sam Wicks.^[9]

Among the other writers whose work appeared in the magazine are Adrian Osman,^[10] Chris Bourke,^[1] Gary Steel,^[5] Graham Reid,^[11] former Creem music critic Richard Riegel,^[12] and Russell Brown.^[13]